Crutch-Ninja No More
/Yesterday someone told me those three most important words in the English language all of us long to hear:
No more crutches.
I can hardly believe my good fortune--someone up there still likes me. (Or, more likely, simple isn't up-to-date on my life-shaming exploits but whatever, I'll take it.) I met with my orthopedic doctor yesterday and he began with, "I have some good news," to which I replied, "Don't play with my heart." But, unless it's the cruelest April Fool's joke on record, I am officially released to swim, bike, walk and do yoga. We're waiting three more weeks before running or any overhead weight-lifting. One month ago I would have said that facing six weeks of no running would kill me. Now I'm ecstatic that I only have six weeks and that I can so many other things.
THE DIAGNOSIS
This may not be medically accurate, but this is what I heard. I don't have an actual stress fracture. Instead I have edema or swelling around the area and what he called "micro-fractures." So the bone is stressed but not actually broken. The two weeks on crutches probably did a lot to save me. In addition, I have weak glutes. (I wanted to say to him, "WHAT?! You can bounce a quarter off this shit," but refrained. Personal growth.) My chiropractor diagnosed weak glutes months ago--they don't fire when I run. So I've got exercises I need to do 3X/day to strengthen them. And my left leg is apparently a hair shorter than my right, so orthopedic lifts may be in my future--but we'll deal with that when we get there.
LESSON LEARNED
While everyone was happy to learn yesterday that I'm off crutches, I heard as many cautionary remarks as I did congratulations. "Don't rush it." "Take it easy." Yes--I hear you. Drawing a bead on my personality, the doctor even said, "This doesn't mean you try to make up for lost time. No three-hour bike rides off the bat. Ease back in and if it hurts, stop." My office is doing a Rites of Spring ride today, 30-40 miles, and they invited me. My first instinct was to say yes--I could probably manage a slow 30 miles. But I said no. Instead, I'm going to go do a 50-minute spin class and call it a day.
This set-back really did scare me. I'm easing back in. No running for three more weeks. From here on out, I will take one full rest day every week for recovery. I also want to keep the progress going I've made on the goals listed in my original blog about being injured:
- Minimize caffeine
- Get more sleep
- Spend time with friends
- Read
- Write
- Eat clean
And, once again, I find myself humbled by the amazing people in my life. People sent flowers, neighbors brought me apple pie, everyone at work ferried my laptop and coffee cup around from meeting to meeting (Not going to lie--I'm sorry to see that end) and, as mentioned, people flooded my liver with alcohol.
I lead an amazing life.
Cheers,
